


The Lone Snake

by CrushedByARainbow



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Creature Janus Sanders, DRLAMP - Freeform, Family, Fluff and Angst, Janus Sanders - Freeform, Janus is a feral boi, King Creativity, M/M, Other, Panic Attacks, Sanders Sides - Freeform, Swearing, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, sanders sides au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25001293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrushedByARainbow/pseuds/CrushedByARainbow
Summary: After King’s untimely death, a heartbroken Janus leaves the Sides and escapes to the edge of the imagination in hopes that no one will ever find him there.
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 18
Kudos: 46





	1. At The Edge Of The World

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back, back again, CBAR is back with an AU~

It happened so suddenly, like being drenched in an unforeseen rainstorm. Creativity, king of the imagination and beloved by all, was gone. Split into two sides, the first a young boy dressed in red and white and the other dressed in black and green. 

That day, all the Sides wept bitterly over the loss of their dear friend. However, there was one whose love for King was far beyond what anyone could comprehend, and when the news of King's death truly wrapped itself around Janus’s head, his poor heart couldn’t take it and so he fled. 

Into the night he escaped, to the very edge of the imagination he ended up and under the protection of the forest he lived. Not a soul knew where the deceitful side had fled too and he believed that no one would care. Janus would no longer bare judgment nor listen to their scornful words. He was gone for good and no one would ever find him, at least, that’s what he thought. 

Remus’s hazel brown eyes scanned the tall dark trees and the wilted grass that stretched along the ground. It was bare, that was for sure but he was still intrigued by this forsaken land. Remus often liked to come to the parts of the imagination he had yet to explore. With every resolve in his mind to discover new and exciting wonders. 

He swung his bag over his arm and placed his morning star across his shoulders. He grinned and stepped into the forest, his morning star gleaming in the patches of sunlight that leaked through the trees as he traversed the dirt paths.

He wished he could have brought Roman along for the exploration but his dear brother was much too busy to have come with him. Whatever he was sure he’d find something exciting to show off to Roman later.  
Remus sighed and wandered through the forest as he looked around for anything that seemed interesting. Suddenly, his ears picked up a scratching sound, curious, he changed course and headed towards it. 

Was it a dog digging up something? 

Was it an animal hiding its prey?

Was it a person burying a body?

The curiosity was exploding inside him as he reached the place where the sound was coming from. He peeked through the trees and bushes, noticing a hunched over figure digging its clawed fingers into the dirt. Why was it digging? Was it trying to hide something or find something? 

Remus took a step forward, trying to get a better look when a twig snapped beneath his boot. The creature whipped its head around, baring its white sharp fangs towards him in the shadows.  
He was very intrigued by such a creature, with its claws, fangs, and striking yellow snake eye but even more so by the green and brown scales that covered half its face and ran down its neck, chest, and leg. Though part of his scales was covered by some tattered black shorts it wore.

“Hello there,” Remus said, stepping out into the light. 

The creature hissed at him and crouched down low, seemingly ready to pounce at any moment. Which only added to Remus’s excitement. How fun would it be to battle this creature and bring it back to the castle? He didn’t want to hurt the thing but he still wanted to catch it. If only to answer the millions of burning questions in his mind.

How did it end up in the imagination? Was it really a creature at all or was it human? It certainly looked human, but did it bleed the same as a human would? Did it even have blood? 

“What are-” 

Before Remus could finish his question the creature charged towards him. He quickly threw his bag away and swung his morning star up, blocking the creature's attack. The creature then swiped its claws near Remus’s head but barely managed to cut away some hair. 

“Ooh, you're a feisty one, aren’t you? Well, now I’m definitely going to be bringing you back with me.” Remus said. He jumped towards the creature and slammed his morningstar down towards it but the creature dodged it with ease.

On and on it went, Remus swinging his morning star around and the creature dodging with slick ease, like his body was made of liquid. However, soon they both grew tired of this dance and they stood in a stalemate, heavy breath escaping their mouths as both prepared for one final attack on the other. 

Remus and the creature narrowed their eyes at each other as the creature brandished his claws and crouched down low, growling and gnashing his teeth towards Remus. The creature then pounced, going towards Remus's left as he swung his morning star towards it and then twisting its body towards the right of him, slicing its claws across Remus's right shoulder and deep into his flesh. 

Remus howled in pain and stumbled backward as he instinctively grabbed his shoulder. He peeked at the wound through his fingers and winced at the amount of blood seeping out of it. 

“Wow, your good,” he said. 

The creature replied with a hiss but Remus only smiled and grabbed his bag, lugging it over his uninjured shoulder. 

“Well, I guess capturing you is going to be harder than I thought,” Remus said. “No matter, I’ll only have to ask my dear old brother for help. Until then, you stay here okay? I promise to be back for you soon so just stay put like a good little snake creature thing.” 

With that, Remus took off scampering into the woods and towards home.


	2. To Catch A Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After arriving back at the castle, Remus decides to ask Roman to help him capture the creature.

Roman sat at his desk, mumbling and scratching away at his papers, he was trying to come up with new ideas for Thomas and had been working tirelessly all morning. He'd made sure to keep the door tightly closed and told everyone not to disturb him. He couldn't afford any distractions.

“Roman!”

Well, so much for that.

“What is it, Remus?” Roman called back with a snarl.

Remus crashed into the room and leaned against the doorway, one hand clenched tightly to his right shoulder as blood dripped onto the floor. Roman's heart lept into his throat and he jumped up, rushing to his brother's side.

“Bro! What happened, you’re injured,” Roman said

“Never mind that for now Roman,” Remus replied, “I need your help.”

“I can see that, come sit down and rest for a moment while I tend to your wound," Roman said.

Before Remus could protest, Roman brought him over to a chair and forced him to sit down. He snapped away Remus's shirt and was surprised to find a large claw-like wound on his brother's arm.

“What on earth have you been doing?” Roman asked as he summoned a first aid kit in his hand and began to clean and bandage the wound.

“I was fighting a creature! It was about the size of a human but with razor-sharp claws, scales covering half its face and body, and fangs like daggers. It even had a single yellow eye that stared right into my soul,” Remus explained, putting a hand over his chest for an added dramatic flair.

“Hold still,” Roman said

“Ugh, are you even listening to me brother? This is important you know," Remus said

“Yes, I understand that Remus but you're injured and we can’t let it get infected," Roman said

“Ooh, what do you think would happen if it did get infected? Would the puss come leaking out and-”

“There and it's finished,” Roman said as he took a step back to admire his handy work; he then whisked away the first aid kit and went back to his desk. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have work to do.”

“Roman! I told you I needed your help!” Remus whined

“I already gave you my help,” Roman replied

“I didn’t mean the wound, but thank you for that, what I meant was for you to help me battle the snake creature and bring it back here," Remus said.

“For what? So you can make it a pet or something?” Roman said

Remus frowned and rolled his eyes. “No, well maybe. I just want to study it! It’s so interesting and exciting that I can’t help but want to learn more about it.”

Roman sighed “Fine, I guess there's no harm in helping you with this. If it’s as interesting and as 'cool' as you say then perhaps I should see it for myself.”

“Yay! Then let’s go!” Remus shouted

“Alright, but let me gather my things first,” Roman replied.

______

The walk back into the imagination took less time than Remus had thought. They’d managed to reach the edge of where he had first spotted the creature but it was gone now. Despite having told the creature to stay put, it didn’t seem to listen.

“Where is it?” Roman asked

“I don’t know, It was here a while ago,” Remus replied.

“Hm, well perhaps we can track it?” Roman said, he crouched down and started to crawl along the ground, checking the dirt for tracks while Remus watched over his shoulder.

“It seems it was here, digging up roots perhaps? And then it went off towards the east,' Roman said. He got up from the ground and motioned for Remus to follow him.

“Do you think we’ll find it?” Remus asked as they trekked down a small wooden path.

“Not sure,” Roman replied, “But it seems we’re getting close.”

They continued walking when a sudden roar caught their attention.

"What was that?" Remus said.

Roman held up a hand to silence him and slowly tiptoed towards the sound. Remus huffed and followed behind him until they reached a small clearing in the trees. They crouched down into some bushes and peeked through them. Standing in the clearing was the creature crouched down and growling at a grizzly bear that stood against it. In the middle of the two was a large piece of meat.

“Was that the creature you saw?” Roman asked, hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Yes,” Remus replied

“Hm, the grizzly bear and that thing seem to be fighting over the meat in the middle there," Roman said

“What should we do?” Remus asked

“Well, maybe we should-” Roman began

Suddenly both creatures cried out and charged towards each other, their claws high in the air and ready to strike the other down. In a flash, Roman jumped out of the bushes and slammed his sword between them, making them freeze in place.

“Remus! Grab him!” Roman shouted

Remus hesitated for a second before charging towards the creature; tackling it to the ground and pinning its arms and legs to the dirt. The creature writhed in Remus’s grip and hissed, it's face twisted in a look of pain and it began to paint, squeezing its eyes shut.

“I got him but he's injured,” Remus frowned

“Alright,” Roman said, “I’ll deal with the bear and you tie that thing up.”

“Got it,” Remus replied

Roman threw Remus some rope and he caught it with ease. He carefully bound the creature's hands and feet together and once the creature had been thoroughly tied, Remus inspected the wound. The wound was deep and poured out a fountain of blood, which didn't seem good. Remus ripped off a part of his shirt and pressed to the creature's wound, who hissed upon contact.

“There, there,” Remus said “No need to worry now. Roman and I will bring you back to the castle and fix that wound for you.”

The creature opened its eyes and glared at Remus making him chuckle. “Aw, still quite feisty aren’t you?”

“How is he?” Roman asked as he made his way over.

“Grumpy and wounded. He must’ve really wanted that meat," Remus said.

“Well, I was able to get rid of the bear so we should be good now,” Roman said. He looked up to the sky and squinted at the sun. “We should head back about now though.”

“Right!” Remus replied

Remus picked up the creature and gently slung it over his shoulder, adjusting it accordingly.

“Just don’t drop it,” Roman said

“I won’t!” Remus said as they walked off back into the woods.


	3. To Name A Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus and Roman successfully bring the creature back to the castle but the creature is not in good shape.

“Does it have to sleep here, Roman?” Remus pouted, gently stroking the creature's cheek and scratching its chin, making the creature softly hiss. 

“We can’t put him in a room or otherwise it might try and destroy it. So, yes, it has to sleep in the dungeon," Roman replied, pounding his finger on his phone. "I'm going to call Logan, you make sure that thing doesn't move." 

Remus frowned and ran a hand through the creature's hair, they had brought the thing back home and laid it out on a soft blanket, with a pillow under its head. However, Remus didn't think the creature was very comfortable as it's breath turned heavier by the second and it's body shook with chills. He summoned another blanket and laid over the creature's body, yet it still shook and let out a small pained whine. 

"Roman, something's wrong," Remus said

"I'm sure it's fine Remus," Roman replied "No Logan, I have no idea where it came from- yes I know but- no I-" 

Remus sighed turning back to the creature, he ran a hand over its cheek again and nearly yelped at the heat coming off of it. He then gingerly placed his hand on the creature's forehead, it was burning up, that wasn't good. 

"Roman, it's burning," Remus said 

"What's burning?" 

"The creature it's burning up." 

Roman huffed and crouched down beside the creature, placing his hand on its forehead and pulling back immediately afterward. "Logan, this thing is on fire, get over here quick!"  
Suddenly, the creature started to have a coughing fit and moaned as blood poured out of its mouth and onto the blanket.  


"Mother of stars, Logan!" Roman cried into his phone.

It had been two hours since Logan arrived and Remus paced the floor back and forth, beads of sweat falling down his forehead. It didn't take long for Logan to arrive after the phone call, as he stormed into the castle dungeon and commanded that Roman and Remus move the creature to an upstairs room. The twins we're too scared to disobey and so brought the creature into one of the spare rooms, where Logan was now giving it medical attention. 

"Remus, it'll be fine," Roman said, watching his brother pace back and forth. 

"How do you know?! That thing was coughing up blood! What if its lungs are filled with blood? What if its guts were ripped apart? What if-" 

"What if we trust Logan and let him figure it out?" Roman said, cutting Remus off.  
Remus pouted and turned away from his brother with his arms crossed he heard Roman sigh and the patter of his boots before a pair of arms wrap around him.  
"It'll be alright, Remus," Roman assured him, "We won't let anything happen to it."  
Remus sniffled and twisted around in Roman's arms, burrowing his face into Roman's shoulder, "Promise?" he whispered. 

"I promise," Roman replied, carding his fingers through Remus's hair. 

"Roman! Remus!" A familiar voice called and they turned to see Patton, followed by Virgil, barreling down the hallway. Roman and Remus immediately separated. 

"Are you two alright?" Patton asked, a look of worry crossing over his face. 

"We're fine Patton," Roman said, "It's the creature we should be more worried about." 

"Ya, I heard Remus got into a fight with it," Virgil said, eyeing Remus 

"Oh, my cookies! Are you okay?" Patton said, immediately turning around Remus and searching for any wounds. 

"I'm fine Patton," Remus said "And, well, I wasn't the one to hurt the thing during our fight, it got hurt during a fight with a bear," Remus said 

"Sure," Virgil drawled and Remus glared at him. 

"I hate to interrupt but I've completed the treatment," Logan said, appearing beside them. 

"How is the creature?" Roman asked 

"It's just fine, all it needs is a bit of rest," Logan said 

"Are we allowed to go in?" Remus asked

"I'd advise against it," Logan said

"But I need to see it," Remus put on his best puppy dog eyes. "I was the one to discover it after all." 

"It's sleeping right now so try not to wake it," Logan said as he stepped aside. Remus squealed and jumped up and down but was quickly hushed by everyone around him. He winced and covered his mouth with his hand, mumbling out a sorry between his fingers.  
Remus then quietly entered the room, his eyes glued to the creature on the bed, he summoned a chair and promptly sat on it and stared longingly into the creature's face.  
It was at that moment that Remus decided something, the creature needed a name. They couldn't keep calling it the "creature" forever and surely such a curious thing deserved a good name. So, Remus tapped his chin and thought about what name would suit the snake. 

Sir Hissalot? Cute, but no. 

Snake face? Too easy 

Diddly Snakey? Funny, but still no. 

Remus squeezed his eyes shut trying to rack his brain for a name when a thought suddenly popped into his brain, _Janus_ , that was its name, or at least what felt like its name. Personally, Remus wanted to go with something cool like Draco or Fang but Janus just felt _right_ and no other name seemed to fit. Besides, Janus seemed to like it, seeing how it had a smile on its face. 

"Welcome home Janus," He whispered and chuckled softly when Janus let out a small hissing sigh.


	4. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus has to leave.  
> He has to go.  
> There's someone waiting for him.  
> Calling him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the amazing comments and support you've shown this fic! I love you all <3

Mama was late.  
Although it wasn't unusual for him to be hunting this late into the night, he usually came back by the time the clock struck twelve, but it was currently three in the morning and there was still no sign of Mama.  
Mars couldn't stay in the cabin, he couldn't stand on that hardwood floor, in the middle of those four walls that were suffocating him. He had to be outside, he had to wait outside for Mama and so he grabbed his comforter off the bed and plopped down onto the porch. He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and stared up at the stars, starting to count them as he waited. Mama always said that counting things helped clear the mind and made the time go by faster.  
He didn't like it when Mama wasn't home, it made the whole cabin feel colder, lonelier, scarier, and Mama wasn't there to keep the monsters away, with there red barring eyes and heart-piercing growls. Mars could hear them now, probably waiting until he fell asleep to tear him to bits. He shuddered at the thought, wrapping himself tighter in the blanket. Mars hoped Mama would return soon, glancing at the moonlit forest for any sign of his approach.  
Mama would be back, right? He shook his head, of course, Mama would be back, he wouldn't ever leave Mars behind, he promised...right?

It had been three days, three whole days, and Janus was starting to go stir crazy. Every move he made was monitored and if he so much as winced from the pain than the black and blue-suited man, Logan, would come running to the room and examine him then and there. He hated being touched by those ice-cold hands but despite his best efforts to hiss and fight back, Logan had no trouble examining him.  
Janus wished he killed the floofy green-clothed man back in the forest, least then he wouldn't have brought the sing-songy red-clothed man back with him and Janus wouldn’t have been captured.

"Janny~" A shrill voice sang.

Great, that green-clothed man, Remus was back.

Janus frowned as Remus skipped into the room carrying a tray with a bowl of soup on it and a giant grin plastered on his face. Janus didn't mind the soup, it was usually made by Patton, the nice light blue-suited man but he wasn’t too fond of the man that came with the food.  
"Aw, look at my little snakey," Remus cooed, putting the tray on the bedside table. "How are we feeling today? Getting any better Jan?"

Janus hissed.

"I'm glad!" Remus shouted. He summoned a chair and plopped down onto it, grabbing the soup off the tray "Now open up! It's soup time!"

After a few hissing protests and spoonfuls of soup, Janus finished all of it and Remus promptly whisked away the tray and the dishes. He yawned and smacked his lips, looking sleepily at the bed as he abruptly stood, knocking his chair back and started to climb into the bed. Janus hissed at the sudden intrusion and scrambled to the farthest edge of the mattress, glaring at Remus.

“Mind if I bunk with you for a bit?” Remus asked, not bothering to let Janus answer as he wiggled under the bedsheets and made himself comfortable. “Goodnight Jan-Jan."

Janus rolled his eyes with a huff and turned onto his side, deciding to just ignore the bed stealer. He snuggled under the sheets and curled into a ball, closing his eyes and started to drift to sleep when a sudden rumbling noise came from behind him; Janus flipped his head around in a frenzy, only to see it was Remus snoring away.  
Janus sighed and sat up, bringing his legs close to his chest and resting his chin on top of his knees, watching Remus’s sleeping face. His eyes lazily traced over Remus’s features, taking note of his crooked nose and caterpillar mustache. He then started to notice things he hadn’t before, like the freckles that dotted the bridge of Remus’s nose and flushed against his red blushed cheeks, the silver streak in his brown nested hair and the light pink tint on Remus’s lips.  
It was strange, Remus almost seemed familiar to him, as though he met him before, not in the forest per se, but somewhere else entirely. It was impossible, he knew, but still, his mind pondered the thought.  
He started to gently stroke Remus’s cheek, chuckling at the drool dripping out of Remus’s wide-open mouth. It was funny, with Remus’s features and the way he slept, Remus was a lot like King.  
“King...” Janus frowned, running a hand through Remus’s messy hair and gingerly pressed a kiss to his forehead. He kept his lips on Remus’s skin for only a moment before reeling back in the realization of what he’d just done. He quickly shook his head, ignoring the tears that pricked his eyes as he counted to ten, clearing his mind of any thoughts of King or Remus.  
He couldn’t be distracted by such feelings, he had to focus on what was important, getting better, and leaving this place as soon as possible. After all, he had to get home, as Mars was probably...oh shit...Mars!

Janus’s heart leaped out of his chest as he frantically climbed off the bed and rushed to the door, throwing it open, his heart racing at the thought of leaving Mars all alone in that cabin. How could he have forgotten his own flesh and blood?  
His head pounded and panic rose through his stomach, every one of his senses was on high alert as he raced down the hall. He was too aware of everything, of his feet pounding on the cold hard bricks that rattled his bones, of the corridors that smelled too much like roses and cookies, making his stomach lurch with the urge to throw up, and the sounds of voices and footsteps that made his ears burn from twisting in different directions.  
He had to make it out, if he could make it out of the castle, if he could find his way back home, then maybe...oh please let him be safe. He couldn't afford to lose him.  
He just couldn't.

Down hallways and down a flight of stairs, he didn't know where he was in the castle but he had to be getting to the bottom soon.  
He turned down another corner and jolted as a loud crash bounced off the walls and to his ears. He slid his body against the wall and peered down the hallway, making sure the coast was clear before he tiptoed closer to the room he believed the crash had come from.  
The door was slightly open and he peeked inside, seeing a man standing before a bookshelf. He noticed books around the man's feet that must've fallen. Then he heard a creek and his eyes snapped towards the bookshelf that was starting to teeter and fall towards the man, Janus's body lunged forward on its own and a second later he was on the ground, the bookshelf inches away from his foot and his body flushed to another. He slowly turned his head and lifted his body up, staring down into the bleary face of the person he knocked over.

His breathing stopped.  
The man smelled like _him_  
The man’s hazel brown eyes danced like _his_  
The man’s royal garb was what _he_ wore.  
It was ~~King~~.

King King King King King

He buried his head into King's chest, sobbing. "Kiiiinnnngggg," Janus whined.

It was him, it was him, it was King, it was-

"Janus?" The man spoke, his voice was different, Janus raised his head and looked at the man’s face again, his face was becoming clearer, he-  
It wasn't him. He wasn't King. He was...Roman?

The realization hit him like a brick and a strangled cry ransacked his body as Janus scrambled off of Roman and onto the floor. He wrapped his arms around his chest, feeling as those two boa constrictors were squeezing his lungs. He couldn't breathe, his breath wasn't there, it was gone, his chest was pounding in his head, his eyes filled with hot hot hot tears.  
He jumped when someone's hand brushed his cheek and slowly rested their hand on his shoulder, speaking softly to him. He strained his ears to listen and realized his hand was put on their chest, they were breathing in a strange pattern, and somehow Janus figured he was supposed to follow their rhythm.

He breathed in for 4 seconds

Held it for 7 seconds

And breathed out for 8 seconds

Soon his head started to clear and his breath eased back into him, he felt a rush of relief wash over him and his body relaxed, leaning onto whoever was helping him.

“Are you okay?”

Janus looked up and was face to face with Roman, his thumb gently rubbing Janus’s scaled cheek. Janus blinked a few times and noticed everyone else was there too, all of there eyes on him with a mix of worry and confusion. Janus hissed and tore away from Roman, kicking himself back towards the wall.

"It's okay," Roman said carefully reaching out his hand to Janus but he flinched away, shakily scooting back more. His eyes flicked between all of them until he landed on Patton, who stepped forward and put his hand on Roman's shoulder.

"Let me try," Patton said

Janus hissed as Patton crouched down a foot away from him. "Hi, remember me? I'm Patton, the one that made you the soup," Patton said, a warm smile spreading across his lips.  
Janus slowly nodded.  
Patton smiled wider and sat on the floor, opening his arms wide, "Would you like a hug? You know I give the best warm hugs," Patton said. Janus bit his lip, he had the urge to fall into Patton’s arms, the want to curl up to his chest, and cry but he wasn’t sure if he should.

"Come on you can do it," Patton said

Janus swallowed and took a deep breath, inching towards Patton, his eyes glancing towards the others as he approached. When he got close enough, Patton reached out his hand but Janus stopped in his tracks, taking a step back and eyeing the hand suspiciously.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Patton said.

Janus took in another deep breath and came to crouch in front of Patton, who raised up his hand and gently touched Janus’s scaled cheek. Warmth spread across Janus’s face and he melted into the touch, his body turning into a pile of mush as Patton wrapped his arms around him and held him in his lap. Janus curled into Patton's chest and buried his face into the soft grey sweater, letting his tears fall down his cheeks.  
Patton’s hand glided down his back and through his messy hair, whispering soft reassuring words into his ears. Soon other hands were on Janus and he started to shake and sob as the warmth spread throughout his body. He was so tired, so scared, his body felt a million light-years away yet every touch brought him back down to earth. He wanted it all so badly.

He wanted _King_.

He wanted _Mars_.

He just wanted to go _home_.


End file.
